Art Scam: Abraham Lubelski NY Arts Magazine

This blog is designed to help prevent aspiring artists out there being exploited by money making scams promising valuable exposure at a high cost.

ARTISTS: Do not pay large sums upfront for your work to be shown.

This is the e-mail I received today from Abraham Lubelski:

Senders email: abraham.lubelski@nyartsbeijing.com

Dear Scott,

I am pleased to inform you of an exciting opportunity to join an international publicity program based in New York City as well as exhibition in Broadway Gallery in SoHo, New York City.

My name is Abraham Lubelski, the publisher of New York Arts Magazine, and owner of The Broadway Gallery in NYC. I would like to invite you to join our publicity program that includes an exhibition in New York City in January 2012. I am interested in your work “Storm Cloud Study” and I believe it would be an important addition to our program. The brushstrokes dance and glide across the canvas, producing a palpable energy. The contrast between the grey and teal is sharp and creates a strong ambiance. By paying close attention to the intuitive works of each artist, we are hoping to construct an exhibition of works that truly speaks to our viewers and subscribers.

With this program you will get one year of publicity, full page in NY Arts Magazine (sold worldwide in major bookstores), an exhibition in the heart of NYC, in Broadway Gallery, a spread in Art Fair International Newsletter along with a year subscription, for a cost of $1,900. This is a media driven event and offers both emerging and established artists the broadest media coverage possible.

Comments 19

I worked there. He is a scam artist for sure. He doesn’t know who the artists are. He just wants money. Doesn’t care what the work is. If a homeless person took a shit in a bag but paid to have his/her bag of shit in the magazine, he wouldn’t care. As long as the ridiculous fee is paid for. I can tell you everything! Email me!

I have realised that the link to Helen Ansell’s blog doesn’t work, but here’s a great e-mail from someone:

“Yes, World Art Media is a completely scam. Besides they deceive naive artists, they do the same with naive candidates who apply for a position.They promise you a high comission (10%) that you must achieve in a short period of 30 days(impossible goal for so short period) and a payment of $ 1,00 for each e-mail you send. You must send 40 e-mails by day, besides research,( the time you spend looking for web sites of artists), what means that you work 8 hours non stop in front of a computer and in the end of the day you receive the fantastic amount of $40,00 dolars.After a month sending 800 e-mails and receiving the “huge” amount of $ 800,00 dolars for 160 hours of work, without close any deal, of course! So, as you couldn’t reach the “golden goal” of 10% comission, you are fired! After I left the company they post in craiglist at least one/two adds by month looking for a “energetic sales associate” with a promise of a great earning based on comission,goal that you never will achieve in a periodo of a month. After 30 days you ended with a misery salary of $ 800,00 dolars and leave to them a big data base of artists around the world, this list they keep forever in their files.What a “great deal”.! Better to get a job and work in Mac Donald’s, so you can get a higher payment by hour(more than $ 40 dollars by day) making a mindless work and at least you won`t be working under stress, pressure and won`t be deceive with promisses of high comission percentual, a impossible goal that you never will reach in a short period of 30 days.”

Beware also of the apartment that he rents out for holidays. It’s a dump and costs $3500 a week. Large deposit too – which is returned but your holiday will be spoilt by the bad taste of just being ripped off. Not even clean sheets are supplied and the kitchen/bathroom facilities are appalling. BEWARE he is after your money.

i worked there too. he pays college kids, recent grads to work in his “office” aka, apartment.. have them sit at a computer for 8 hours a day five days a week, just researching international artists and emails them the same letter. Dont work with him or pay to show there. Everything he promises is a complete lie. And during the openings, he hides. Because there are always artists that are angry with him. He is absolute garbage. He should be sued. So many others that have worked for him could go on and on and on…

This guy is still at work but now having someone named Peter Caine doing his dirty work for him. He approached me from Artspan’s website and sent me an email about a specific piece I painted on my site.

I also think its interesting that the Broadway Gallery actually has a LiveStream feed that you can watch like its a legit place.

It’s interesting to see you post a blog about a specific person who, if you meant, you have never met in person. I receive tens of phone messages a day from sales people of different companies, and see young girls and boys who distribute leaflets to me on the street. I’ve never bought any of their products. But, I respect their hard work and say “No, thank you!” to everybody… … BTW, all these sales people may have been fired by the companies. They may also have started to sell new products while cursing their previous companies and the products…

This site and many like it are simply desperate to generate their own traffic and make business for your selves. If you want a career in policing and investigating you should do exactly that. You should research and even contact the business referred to make sure these are legitimate complaints. We are transparent and provide you all the contact information necessary so we are not hiding anything. Our fees and services are clearly stated. These site and postings are simply a form of therapy for frustrated and disgruntled individuals.

@Broadway Gallery Blogging is a great tool to spread awareness, feedback and public opinion. This article is my opinion on the offer that was e-mailed to me. I quoted your e-mail and gave my OPINION on it in order to benefit others who value my opinion. I don’t make a habit of posting articles purely to generate traffic. If I have inadvertently done that it will likely be down to the volume of e-mails you send out.I cannot and will not vouch for ANY of the responses from others, but I do value everyone’s opinion. If there are many artists satisfied with your service, this would make me happy that there is a balanced view on here. I am not stubborn enough to assume my opinion is always correct. If their is a convincing response from those that have found your services to be worthwhile, amendments will be made to the article to reflect that.To dismiss bloggers and postings as ‘desperate’, and ‘simply a form of therapy for frustrated and disgruntled individuals’ is naive and ill advised.

Hi Scott.Thank you for your posting on this NY Arts Magazine scam.I too was approached by Peter Caine and at first was very flattered indeed to receive such acclaim and admiration for my works.I became suspicious when i saw that i had to fork out $1900. Shouldn’t they be paying me?

Thanks to you i now have piece of mind and i will make others out here in my country South Africa aware of this scam.

I am a self taught artist and unknown to the art industry and it is so easy for a artist as myself hungry to make my mark to be fooled with flattery to take these “scum artists” seriously.

Artists beware – Peter Caine works for Abra­ham Lubel­ski who is the owner of the broadway gallery – seems like Abraham bought this place many years ago when it used to be a gallery district… there are no galleries around and no one comes to see the artwork – in addition there is a consensus in the art work that these guys are scam artists – stay away!!!!!!!!!!

Global Projects at Broadway Gallery is an artist-minded initiative and way for artists across the globe to gain exposure in a New York art market. Broadway Gallery seeks to give passionate art makers the opportunity not only to display their fine work in a SoHo gallery but also to appear in the pages of NY Arts, a contemporary visual arts magazine that has been in circulation for over fifteen years. Despite what you may have gathered from the internet, there is no doubt that we are an artist-minded gallery, meaning that the artists as our clients are our number one priority. We at Broadway Gallery hope to provide a leg up for those who desire for their name and work to be seen by the New York and global market.

Well, let me butt my head in a year or so after this exchange. Lubelski is a pain in the ass. Is he a scam artist? We’re wading into a gray area here. The fee is, I agree, outrageous. Any artist shd. turn his or her nose up at it. However, against the odds, NYArts, the magazine, produces good work; by that I don’t mean Lubeski, I mean the staff in NY, who have to deal regularly with Mr. L. Full confession, I write for them from time to time, for no pay. And yet, bec. L. is so cheap, you can’t see it because he doesn’t repair the website (ancient). So: I’m with you in your disgust, I didn’t know he added the apartment biz to his repertoire, I am not trying to cover up in the slightest BUT Jason Stopa and others write about European art and bring it to the States, and vice versa. Unfortunately, Lubelski’s MO is all too common in NY – which is why I left. I’m glad to see the discussion, and however corrupt the old fuck may be, a mini-Trump,I wouldn’t know about YOU without his lousy money-grubbing.

Well, let me butt my head in a year or so after this exchange. Lubelski is a pain in the ass. Is he a scam artist? We’re wading into a gray area here. The fee is, I agree, outrageous. Any artist shd. turn his or her nose up at it. However, against the odds, NYArts, the magazine, produces good work; by that I don’t mean Lubeski, I mean the staff in NY, who have to deal regularly with Mr. L. Full confession, I write for them from time to time, for no pay. And yet, bec. L. is so cheap, you can’t see it because he doesn’t repair the website (ancient). So: I’m with you in your disgust, I didn’t know he added the apartment biz to his repertoire, I am not trying to cover up in the slightest BUT Jason Stopa and others write about European art and bring it to the States, and vice versa. Unfortunately, Lubelski’s MO is all too common in NY – which is why I left. I’m glad to see the discussion, and however corrupt the old fuck may be, a mini-Trump,I wouldn’t know about YOU without his lousy money-grubbing.